Encyclopedia Britannica

Language, a system of conventional spoken, manual, or written symbols by means of which human beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, express themselves. The functions of language include communication, the expression of identity, play, imaginative expression, and emotional release.

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In the Library

Chronicles various efforts to create new languages, discussing their intended purposes, creators, and varying degrees of success.

Language Matters
by Donna Jo Napoli; Vera Lee-Schoenfeld

Call Number: 400 NAP

ISBN: 9780199735716

Publication Date: 2010-07-08

Examines controversial questions about language as a human ability and as part of society, such as whether Ebonics is a dialect, whether computers will truly learn human language, and whether offensive language harms children.

The Mother Tongue
by Bill Bryson

Call Number: 420 BRY

ISBN: 9780380715435

Publication Date: 2001-10-23

Covers the history of language from its beginnings to the explosion of English as a global language in the twentieth century.

Political Correctness
by William Hughes; Geoffrey Hughes

ISBN: 9781405152792

Publication Date: 2009-11-16

Traces the history of political correctness, discussing its origins, progress, content, and style, and considers whether political correctness has succeeded in eliminating prejudice or has placed limitations on public debate.

Explores how competition in a capitalist, free-market society influences the ways in which commercial and political advertisers speak to individuals.

Through the Language Glass
by Guy Deutscher

Call Number: 410 DEU

ISBN: 9780312610494

Publication Date: 2011-08-30

Examines the symbiotic relationship between culture and language, discussing how each impacts the other, whether different languages can lead a speaker to have different thoughts, and related topics.

Whistling Vivaldi
by Claude M. Steele

Call Number: 303.3 STE

ISBN: 9780393339727

Publication Date: 2011-04-04

Examines the role of what the author calls identity contingencies in the lives of individuals and in society as a whole, focusing on stereotype threat, arguing that people who believe they may be judged based on a bad stereotype do not perform as well, and showing how to overcome the problem.